Church Announcements

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

December 20, 2009

After 10AM Mass

RAFFLE TO BENEFIT ST. JOHN CHURCH: The St. John Church Christmas raffle for a 12-piece hand painted Nativity crèche and a handmade quilt has started! The Nativity figures were painted by parishioner Pam Perrone, and the set includes the stable. The quilt is handmade by Kathy Drajewicz. The proceeds from these raffles will benefit St. John Church. Tickets are one for $2, three for $5, and six for $10, and are on sale after all Masses. Fr. Michael will hold the drawing for the raffle after the 10 AM Mass on Sunday, December 20th. Thank you for contributing to St. John Church

December

22, 2009

2 -5PM

RECTORY TREE-TRIMMING PARTY: The beautiful 10-foot tree, used countless times over the last several years, is up in the St. John Church Rectory, and Father Michael invites all St. John Church parishioners to come to a tree-trimming party in the Rectory! The party will be on Tuesday, December 22nd, from 2:00 PM until 5:00 PM. Hosted by Father Michael Phillippino and the Parish Office Staff. Coffee and refreshments will be served! Please come help decorate the tree and celebrate the upcoming Christmas holidays at St. John Church!

Dec 24th, 2009 at 4pm

St. John Church Children's Liturgy: Thursday, Dec 24th, 2009 at 4pm: On Christmas Eve at the 4 PM Mass, the children from St. John School and the St. John Church Religious Education Program will participate in the Christmas Eve Vigil Mass, including the Children’s Christmas Pageant. All children from the School and Religious Education Program are eligible to participate in this special Vigil Mass. If your child wishes to participate in the Pageant, or as an Altar Server, Reader, or Offertory helper, please fill out the permission slip that your child receives from his or her teacher and return it to the Parish Office as soon as possible. If your child did not receive a permission slip, and would like to take part in the Vigil Mass, please call the Parish Office at 860-347-5626 860-347-5626.

January

17, 2010

8:30AM - 3:30PM

Trip to the Knights of Columbus Museum, New Haven, sponsored by the St. Theresa Guild of St. Sebastian Church, January 17th, 2010. The museum will also have on display an exquisite private collection of Nativity artwork and Christmas crèches from Latin America and Mexico. The trip will include Holy Mass at St. Mary’s Church, where the crypt of Fr. Michael McGivney, Founder of the Knights, is located, and lunch at Sage American Grill and Oyster Bar. The buss will depart St. Sebastian Church at 8:30 AM and return home about 3:30 PM. The cost is $45/person. For reservations, contact Joanne Coligan at 860-346-2571. The deadline to register is December 30th, 2010.

May

19 – 31, 2010

OBERAMMERGAU ALPINE PILGRIMAGE, May 19 – 31, 2010. Visiting Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Including admissions to the Passion Play, 13 days, 20 hotel meals. From New York, $3258 per person, double occupancy plus taxes

and insurance. Deposit is $500. Seats are limited, early reservations recommended. Contact Fr. Paul Ramen (860) 564-9767 (860) 564-9767

June 30th to July 10th, 2010

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Galilee. June 30th – July 10th, 2010. With Anthony

Nachef, Ph. D. Theology, assisted by Deacon Dana Garry and Mary Garry, St. Mary Parish, Portland, CT. Cost is $3,990 airfare

and everything else included. Please come to an information session on October 1st at 7:00 PM at the Parish Hall at St. Mary’s, Portland.

October

15 – 24, 2010

Diocesan Pilgrimage to Ireland, Oct. 15-24, 2010. Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, Bishop of Norwich, will lead a Diocesan Pilgrimage to Dublin, Knock, Armaugh, in Ireland. Includes roundtrip airfare from Boston airport, 10 days/9 nights in four star

hotels., 7 breakfasts, 7 dinners, daily Mass, airport-hotel transfer, hotel taxes, baggage handling, local bus to/from airport, departure lunch, all tips, departure tax and fuel surcharge. $3,183 per person (optional travel insurance is extra). For further information call Rebecca McDougal at 860-889-9294 860-889-9294 or email rebecca@norwichdiocese.net. Tour Operator: The Catholic Tour Company.

Your Sacrificial Offering

Weekend of Dec. 12 – 13, 2009

Actual $4,120 Needed $5,200

$1,080 Under!!!
Immaculate Conception: $728
Christmas Flower Donations: $1,483

Thank you for your generous support!

To make a donation to

St John Church please click here.

December Parish Meetings

Please make every effort to attend

Check Parish Calendar here...

Looking for a place to donate your lightly-read magazines? The Magazine Team is here to help! We will be collecting your magazines and donating them to Middlesex Hospital for their patients and visitors to read. This program will be ongoing, so feel free to donate monthly. Please put your magazines in the purple bin in the front entranceway. Thank you for your support!

Mass Reminders

The Sign of Peace and Distribution of the Precious Blood will be suspended until further notice. Communicants are urged to receive the Consecrated Host in their hands rather than on the tongue. The faithful are encouraged not to hold hands during the Our Father. Also, please note: the 10:00 Mass Children’s Liturgy is restricted to children ages 3 and up, no younger. Thank you for your cooperation, and God Bless.

Remember St. John Church in Your Will!

You can express your commitment to our parish future by making a bequest to St. John Catholic Church. Simply have the following statement put into your will: “I leave to St. John Catholic Church of Middletown the sum of $____ for its preservation works.” May God abundantly bless You!

St. John School News

School will be CLOSED beginning December 23rd and will reopen on January 4th for the Christmas Holiday. The last day of school will be on December 22nd. Dismissal on the 22nd will be at 2:00 PM. EDP will be open until 5:30 PM.

Due to the cancellation of school for inclement weather on the day of our Christmas Concert (December 9th), the Concert has been rescheduled to January 6th, 2010 at 12:30 PM in the Church.

St. John Parish Religious Education

Fr. Jim, Pastor, is pleased to announce that parishioners Lyn Willard and Kathryn Connolly

have agreed to serve as the new Co-Directors of our CCD – Religious Education Classes for

the new academic year 2008 – 2009. We are most grateful to them for dedicating their time

and talents for our Sunday morning Religious Education classes.

CONFIRMATION CLASS OF 2010: There will be a meeting of the St. John Church Confirmation Class of 2010 on Monday, December 7th from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in St. John School. If you have any questions, please call Terri Zampini at 860-342-1549

St. John Religious Education: Catechism Teachers Needed!

St. John Religious Education: Year 2009 - 2010

The St. John Church Religious Education Program has begun for the 2009 – 2010 year. All children in Grades 1 – 8 will have religious education classes every Sunday from 9 – 9:45 AM. To enroll your child in Religious Education classes for the 2009-2010 school year, please pick up a form at the front of the Church today, fill it out, and return it to the Parish Office at 19 St. John Square, Middletown, CT 06457

Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA)

Are you or is someone you love interested in entering full communion with the Catholic Church, and in need of receiving the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation? Deacon John Hancock will be leading classes for those interested in fulfilling the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) starting December 5th, 2009. Classes will be held in the St. John Church Rectory on Saturday mornings from 9 – 11 AM, and will conclude on March 27th, 2010. Candidates will receive their Sacraments during Holy Week 2010. If you or someone you know is interested in RCIA classes, please call the Parish Office at 860-347-5626 860-347-5626.

We are also looking for volunteers to help with the class or to be sponsors for those interested in receiving Baptism or Confirmation. If you are interested in helping, please email the Parish Secretary at Stjohnsecretary@comcast.net.